Monday, January 28, 2008

Falling Star

It's great that the people of LIC marked their noteworthy structures with plaques so that the demolition guys can learn the history of the neighborhood as they tear it down.The Star Building, which was home to the LIC Daily Star newspaper and is steps from Queens Plaza, is a-comin' down.And guess what's replacing it? Yes, that's right. Luxury condos like the ones in this cheesy drawing. Is this Queens or the Vegas Strip?

Hey not fair. Fine dining at Blimpie's on the corner. Gentleman's club upstairs. Participate in street combat or watch live exotic acts on side streets. Not your standard dullness when you get home. Lively and exiciting times - learn to adopt your very own PO if you can find one.

C'mon people, why are you getting so upset about another dumpy building going down in LIC? Don't you know this area has no history, no people with roots, no culture?

We need more generic, shoddily manufactured luxury buildings going up in this area! LIC has been long overdue for a facelift! And it looks like it's getting one from the suregons that advertise in the back of the Post.

I am a young professional that could afford to live in a luxury condo in LIC if I wanted to, but I prefer to live where I grew up, further inland. I am not jealous of the people moving into LIC. I would just like to have 1) power in my house, 2) room to breathe, 3) a sense of community, 4) a seat for my child in school and 5) no water in my basement. And when the tides rise, I will be on dry ground, thanks.

The Daily Star was one of the most influential newspapers, and the facade is handsome, along with its simplistic cornice and Greek columns and pediment adorning the entryway. This is not just another ordinary building. If it was in Dumbo or Greenwich Village, it might be landmarked already. The Landmarks Commission is a biased agency, particularly when it comes to Queens. Examine their track record of properties that are voted down without a hearing in our borough, and heard & landmarked in Manhattan or Brooklyn. Who's submitting the Request For Evaluation? And why can't the developer convert it into lofts (or build around it), as was done with the Eagle Electric factory???

All morons and player haters. Are you jealous that Long Island City is being developed and you are not part of it? I would if I were you.

Good for you - join or get other fools to be together in these properties. You and the fools will get a good finacial education in how to be taken. The Crips and Bloods will surely provide you with other lessons.

There is no point in submitting requests for evaluation. They get shot down time and time again.

There isn't one group out here that doesn't have a pile moldering in some dusty drawer.

This is Queens. The landmarks law does not reach here at the grass roots.

If the community did submit a requst, the newspapers would never do a story about it.

Last year when our elected officials and community boards and local newspapers let them tear down the first boro hall, no one mentioned that the community had submitted a request ... and ... true to form in Queens, it was denied.

This year the LI Saving Bank got torn down and of course the press was all over the community for not going through the motions,

The now have no reason to complain.

Yes yes of course. Its the COMMUNITY'S fault the building is torn down for, if they would have at least SUBMITTED something, .. and ... who knows?

You know who is buying here? Foreigners overseas whose money is worth 10 times ours, who are buying it and renting it out in the hopes that they may flip it soon. Even if the economy bottoms out, it won't be so much of a loss for them. We are selling out the history and character of our communities for a quick buck. Our kids will grow up and ask us why the hell we allowed this to happen.

The old building looks perfectly fine and waaaaaaay more solidly built than the new piece of crap they want to put in.

If they MUST put condos there, why don't they just convert the interior of the building and leave the exterior as I heard they do in Europe where they don't have a habit of destroying old buildings (except during war time!).

(For example.....to name just two Boymelgreen in Flushing and Danrich in Maspeth).

We'll be seeing a lot of unoccupied (certainly under-occupied) buildingson the eastern shores of the river bank soon

This is one wise voice - read above again please folks:

Developers cannot raise money to develop the next building and will not if the current property being marketed is not selling. The y need to pay interest costs, risk their current capital which is riding on a sell-out. When they reach the point of selling their land to pay for their current costs, they are seeing "the end is here (not near) " and go bust.

There are many big buildings in LIC bunched together, in various stages of completion in a market that has large completed buildings with apartments going begging. The point here folks - the game is over - those who bought in the last year are going to have great difficulty selling your unit in the next 10 years. In fact you will see a 50% in value especially at the most expensive levels. Be real, you paid a huge price to live in a crap building in Queens!

Spotted a piece of Queens Crap in your community?

Please note

Italicized passages and many of the photos come from other websites. The links to these websites are provided within the posts.

Why your neighborhood is full of Queens Crap

"The difference between dishonest and honest graft: for dishonest graft one worked solely for one's own interests, while for honest graft one pursued the interests of one's party, one's state, and one's personal interests all together." - George Washington Plunkitt

Sites that kick ass:

The above organizations are recognized by Queens Crap as being beneficial to the city as a whole, by fighting to preserve the history and character of our neighborhoods. They are not connected to this website and the opinions presented here do not necessarily represent the positions of these organizations.

The comments left by posters to this site do not necessarily represent the views of the blogger or webmaster.